


I Do Not Like To Be Beside The Seaside (Unless It's With You)

by MachineQueen



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Corrin being cute, Day At The Beach, F/M, Fluff, Hoshido | Birthright Route, Subaki being a perfectionist, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 16:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20261275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineQueen/pseuds/MachineQueen
Summary: Beaches were the enemy of perfection. But Corrin looked happy, and that made the trip worth taking.Flufftastic.





	I Do Not Like To Be Beside The Seaside (Unless It's With You)

**Author's Note:**

> Subaki would hate the beach and I wanted to write about it. I think Corrin is the only person who could convince him to go. This is a disgustingly fluffy piece of nonsense because I'm feeling self-indulgent. 
> 
> (I am team Corrin - beaches are great and nothing relaxes me like the sound of waves breaking on the shore)

Corrin loved the beach. Subaki did not. 

The wind messed up his hair, the sand made him itch and the sun burned his sensitive skin. He'd slathered on a bottle of sunscreen and hoped his complexion wouldn't suffer too much. Beaches were the enemy of perfection. But Corrin looked happy, and that made the trip worth taking. She had needed a break and she’d been so excited by the idea of going to the beach that he hadn’t the heart to argue. 

"Take your shoes off!" she demanded, doing an excited hop on the sand. "It's like walking on clouds."

“Must I?”

“If you don’t, you’ll ruin them.”

Subaki looked at his very clean, very expensive boots and decided he did not want sea water anywhere near them so he did as she said. He had to admit that burying his bare feet in the sand was more pleasant than he remembered. But then he felt the grit of it between his toes and suppressed a shudder. They began to walk out towards the sea, leaving his shoes behind for the moment. Corrin had a spring in her step he’d never seen before and it was cute enough that it distracted him from the discomfort of his hair being blown into riotous tangles. 

"It's so clean! Not all muddy like in Nohr.”

“Muddy?” 

“Yes! Beaches in Nohr are squidgy and you have to be careful not to step on the sand worms.”

Sand worms?! Beaches in Nohr sounded like his worst nightmare. Even worse than beaches in Hoshido. He held his tongue. 

“Xander used to try teaching us to build sandcastles so we could have a contest. I usually won, but only because the others cheated.”

It was still strange to hear her talk about the Nohrian royals in such a familiar way. Subaki had caught glimpses of them in battle but steered clear as much as he could. Corrin loved them still and he didn’t want to hurt the people she loved, even if they were technically enemies.

There was that and...he would never admit it, but barring Princess Elise, they frightened him. Prince Xander showed no mercy and his leadership skills had led to some close calls for Hoshido. Princess Camilla tore up the skies on the back of her roaring wyvern. And Prince Leo would be upon you when you least expected it, his spells tying you up in knots before you could draw your weapon. 

Subaki reached for Corrin's hand, wanting the security of holding on to her. His greatest fear was that she would return to Nohr and leave him behind. A Hoshidan sweetheart would only be an inconvenience in a Nohrian court. It might even put her in danger if someone decided to do away with him. He wouldn’t be able to protect her in Nohr the way he could in Hoshido. 

“Maybe one day you’ll meet them,” said Corrin. “I’m sure you’d impress Xander by making the perfect sandcastle.”

“If that’s what I have to do to prove myself, perhaps I’d better get some practice.”

Corrin turned to look at him and laughed. “Oh no! I shouldn’t have said anything. Now you won’t be able to relax at all. You’ll just be working on your sandcastle making skills.”

"If that's what it takes to prove myself, it'll be worth every second. Something tells me it won't be that easy, though."

Corrin reached up and tucked a stray bit of hair behind his ear. His knees went weak and he stumbled on the sand. It was graceless and beneath him and he felt himself turning red. Corrin didn't seem to pay any heed to it though. 

"You look worried."

She caught his ponytail and ran her fingers through it. To her, it seemed a casual gesture of affection. But for him, it was deeply intimate. A lover’s touch. Subaki concentrated on his footing as he spoke, not wanting to stumble again. As distracting as her touch was, he sensed Corrin needed to talk to him. It was a hard question to ask but he needed to know the answer.

"Are you homesick? Do you miss Nohr?

"It's not that I don't feel at home in Hoshido! That's… kind of the problem. I want both homes. Do you think that could ever work, Subaki?" 

"If anyone could make it happen, it's you."

"You don't seem entirely convinced. But you don't seem to hate Nohr as much as… Other people."

She meant Prince Takumi. 

"I'm not the type to give in to hate. I fight to defend Hoshido and Lady Sakura. And you. Not out of hatred, but out of love."

Corrin giggled. Subaki felt flustered all over again. "It might sound stupid, but it's how I feel."

"I don't think you sound stupid. It's just unusual to hear you get so emotional about something other than your everyday work. Or your hair!"

As soon as Subaki knew she wasn’t laughing at him for sounding foolish, he calmed down. They reached the water's edge. Perfect arcs of water edged in white foam fanned out towards their bare feet. Subaki stepped back but Corrin plunged straight in, not even flinching at how cold it was.

"Very well," Subaki conceded. "I suppose it would be fair to say in order of importance my priorities are: you, work and my hair." 

"I suppose I can't fault your honesty."

"Appearance is very important!" 

"You're ridiculous. That's why I love you."

She splashed over to him and stood on tiptoe so she could place a quick kiss on his mouth. There was no one on the beach but the two of them. Subaki blushed all the same. He didn't mind a few public displays of affection but they weren't really proper for someone of his rank. He decided to try not to care and was moderately successful. It helped that Corrin’s affection made him happy. He put his arms around her and she leaned into his shoulders. Her head fit neatly under his chin. She smelt earthy and her loose hair tickled his neck.

"No matter what happens, I'll want to be with you." Corrin went in for another kiss, but before she could the waves washed over his feet and he jumped. 

The water surged up to his ankles and the bottoms of his leggings were completely drenched. Already he was thinking about how best to wring out the saltwater. Corrin brought him back to reality, by kicking up a huge swathe of water, splashing him from the waist down.

"And what did I do to deserve that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"What, you don't have splashing contests in Hoshido?" 

"I can assure you a contest between the two of us will only have one winner. I won't go easy on you just because we're courting!" 

"It goes without saying that I expect an honourable fight."

Subaki bowed because that was the polite thing to do before sparring. Then he rolled up his leggings in an attempt to save them getting completely drenched. Corrin responded by splashing him even more thoroughly which he really should have seen coming. His hair dripped into his eyes and he decided it was time to take his revenge. The kicks he’d studied so rigorously as part of his training were very effective on the water and Corrin squealed as she got hit. 

They splashed back and forth for a while until they were both drenched from head to toe. The contest ended when Corrin tripped over a cluster of shells while trying to back away from him. She stumbled and would have fallen into the surf, which was now up to his knees. He caught her just in time and she looked up at him with such a bewildered expression that it was impossible not to lean down and kiss her. It was difficult to let her go; she was so warm and her lips were soft and the way she moved against him made his head spin in a way he still wasn’t used to. When he drew away, it was reluctantly.

“I guess you won,” said Corrin.

“A perfect victory, as always.”

“Mmm,” said Corrin. She was still looking at him funny and he suddenly became aware that his clothes were sticking to him, his hair was wet and he was coated in icky grains of sand. He shifted uncomfortably. This time Corrin noticed.

“Are you alright?”

“I must be a bit of a sight.”

“Me too!”

Corrin was correct - she was in a similar state. But it looked sort of right on her. Like she was meant to be a little bit wild. He was sure that it didn’t suit him in the slightest. Corrin studied his expression and put her hand on his shoulder.

“There’s just me here and I think you look beautiful.”

Subaki studied her face for a mocking smirk but she seemed sincere. He had always liked that she laughed with him and not at him and now was no exception. With Corrin, he was safe. He trusted her. 

“To tell you the truth, I never liked the seaside,” he heard himself saying. “But I think I like it much better now.”

**Author's Note:**

> A note on clothing: I realised afterwards I wrote it like they were dressed normally and not for the beach and now I am too lazy to change it. This is because of writer bias: I live in England, it's cold most of the year and I am usually on the beach in jeans and a hoodie. I am a bit sad I didn't think of flustering Subaki with bikini!Corrin though. Another time, maybe.


End file.
